EV fires in India: Benling Falcon electric scooter battery explodes while charging in Telangana

Last month, an explosion in a charging battery pack of a PureEV scooter had claimed the life of an 80-year-old in Nizamabad. PureEV had issued a product recall following the incident. Three days after that incident, a battery pack exploded in Vijaywada killing a 40-year-old.

This mishap trails a series of such fire accidents across India caused by exploding battery packs in electric two-wheelers. The growing concern about safety has urged the central government to take notice and a high-level committee has completed its investigation regarding such fire incidents. Initial reports suggest that the issues pertaining to battery fires lie with faulty battery cells and modules. 

Battery explodes in an e-scooter in Telangana 

A battery explosion in a battery pack of an e-scooter triggered a small fire on Sunday night. The scooter caught fire when the owner had put the vehicle on charge outside his house in the village of Ramchandrapur, Karimnagar, Telangana State. The vehicle was reportedly put on charge Sunday night when the mishap took place. The police later reported that no one was injured during the incident. 

The fire incident trails the long list of fire mishaps that has spread across the nation which has perished over two dozen e-scooters and taken many lives. Last month, the Government of India stepped in to intervene and ensure the safety of consumers. The MoRTH led by Nitin Gadkari enforced an expert committee that would carry out an investigation on the matter. Three companies, Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech and PureEV, were looked into specifically. The committee will soon publish its findings officially.